Pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups will mark a somber anniversary with vigils and rallies

Monday marks a year since Hamas militants launched an unprecedented invasion in southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 and kidnapping another 250 people. It also marks a year since Israel retaliated for that attack, embarking on a yearlong siege in the blockaded coastal strip that has killed at least 42,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly 2 million, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Six thousands miles away, in a region home to Jewish and Palestinian people, the pain remains as visceral as it was on day one, and profound divisions over the conflict have only deepened since last year.

For Michael Balaban, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, the emotions still feel as raw as they did when news of the invasion arrived that October morning.

“It’s hard to get through the grieving process when there are still 101 hostages being held, and we’re unsure who’s alive and who has been killed,” he said.

For Jude Husein, 26, a Palestinian-American organizer who was born in Ramallah, every day of the war has been gut-wrenching.

“We wake up thinking about it. We go to sleep and we wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it, and just when we think it can’t get worse, somehow it gets worse every single day,” she said.

Both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian advocacy groups are commemorating the somber milestone with vigils and rallies. Some seek to draw attention to the lives lost, while others call for peace.

Those pleas have become increasingly tenuous as cease-fire negotiations continue to stall and fears spread over a wider regional war in the Middle East.

And the fallout continues to reverberate throughout the Philadelphia region. Over the past year, pro-Palestinian demonstrations have continuously swept through streets, highways, and college campuses. Reports of hate-fueled bias incidents targeting both Jewish and Muslim people have soared. Concerns over antisemitism and anti-Arab sentiment continue to roil universities, K-12 schools, and cultural institutions. Court battles have erupted over institutional failures to address antisemitism, and the presence of “cease-fire now” messages has become politically volatile.

Cease-fire protests were central to pro-Palestinian advocacy — and often a source of controversy — in the early months of the war. This year, some demonstrators also shifted toward pressuring to institutions and government officials over their financial support for Israel.

Last week, about 50 pro-Palestinian activists with Jewish Voice for Peace staged their second demonstration outside the Israel Bonds office in Center City, part of an ongoing campaign against the Pennsylvania state treasurer to divest private and taxpayer dollars.

For pro-Palestinian Jews, the anniversary summons a mixture of anger and grief, said Julia Harris, 31, a Jewish South Philly resident and member of the activist group — “grief and anger that we’re still having to make these same demands, and that the violence is continuing to grow.”

Jewish Voice for Peace has participated in dozens of demonstrations in the region since the war began, gaining over 1,000 new members in the past year, according to a spokesperson.

“It’s very hard for me to believe that we’re still here, that we still need to stand up and speak out,” said Linda Holtzman, a rabbi with Tikkun Olam Chavurah, a Jewish community group.

Pro-Israel Jewish groups often dismiss the JVP faction, arguing they do not represent the majority of Jewish people, who they say overwhelmingly support Israel.

For the pro-Israel community, the focus has remained on bringing home the hostages and maintaining support U.S. aid to Israel. Balaban, of the Jewish Federation, said combating antisemitism at an institutional level and defending Israel’s war against Hamas has become an increasingly difficult but necessary challenge.

The silver lining, he said, is what he sees as Jewish unity since Oct. 7.

“We’ve seen an incredible outpouring of support, physically and monetarily, and a sense of caring and community with a capital C,” he said. “Prior to the 7th, there was a lot of questions about disunity.”

Husein, who organizes the city’s annual Palestinian Day of Solidarity, said she fears people are increasingly “copping out” of speaking against the war, due to fear of retaliation.

But she too remains optimistic.

“Somehow we still remain hopeful, and that’s kept me going,” she said. “In the midst of so much pain and bloodshed and grief and loss, we go to work, we go to school, and we somehow make it through.”

Sunday, Oct. 6

Monday, Oct. 7

Later in October